A sukun is a small circle above a letter. It means that the letter has no vowel after it. It closes a syllable: ุจูููุช is bint, not bini. After a fatha, a yaa with a sukun makes the sound โayโ, as in ุจูููุช, bayt. At the end of a word the last letter is read without a vowel, so no mark is written there. The first letter of ุงูุจูู is an alif with a kasra below: it sounds like a short โiโ, not a long vowel. Now you can read many short words: say the vowel of each letter, skip a letter that has a sukun, and move from right to left.
ุจูba+ููy+ุชt
Worked examples
ุจูbi+ููn+ุชt
Break a word into steps: ุจู + ูู + ุช. The sukun on the yaa tells you there is no vowel after it, so you say bay and then t.
Read the three words and press Listen: house, girl, son.
Class activity
Reading race. Write six short words on cards: ุจูููุชุ ุจูููุชุ ุงูุจููุ ุจููููุ ุจูููุงุชุ ุชููู. Shuffle them, read each card aloud from the right and say what it means. Time yourself and try to beat your time tomorrow.
Practice
1
What does the sukun tell you?
That the letter has no vowel after it.
2
Read the word one step at a time: ุจูููุช.
bi + n + t, so bint.
3
Press Listen and say the word. Do you hear the โayโ sound?
Yes: bayn, which means between.
4
Why is no sukun written on the last letter of ุจูููุช?
At the end of a word the last letter is read without a vowel, so no mark is needed.
5
Which word has a sukun, ุจูููุช or ุจูููุงู?
